Über KopulationseigentÜmlichkeiten der Mallophagen

Ohne ZusammenfassungI. erschien 1939d in Sitzgsber. Ges. naturforsch. Freunde Berl. 1938, S. 190–196, II. ist an anderer Stelle im Druck.     

Standortsuntersuchungen und Neufunde vonHalacsya sendtneri (Boiss.)Dörfl. in Bosnien

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

A hotspot of Toxoplasma gondii Africa 1 lineage in Benin: How new genotypes from West Africa contribute to understand the parasite genetic diversity worldwide

Through international trades, Europe, Africa and South America share a long history of exchanges, potentially of pathogens. We used the worldwide parasite Toxoplasma gondii to test the hypothesis of a historical influence on pathogen genetic diversity in Benin, a West African country with a longstanding sea trade history. In Africa, T. gondii spatial structure is still non-uniformly studied and very few articles have reported strain genetic diversity in fauna and clinical forms of human toxoplasmosis so far, even in African diaspora. Sera from 758 domestic animals (mainly poultry) in two coastal areas (Cotonou and Ouidah) and two inland areas (Parakou and Natitingou) were tested for T. gondii antibodies using a Modified Agglutination Test (MAT). The hearts and brains of 69 seropositive animals were collected for parasite isolation in a mouse bioassay. Forty-five strains were obtained and 39 genotypes could be described via 15-microsatellite genotyping, with a predominance of the autochthonous African lineage Africa 1 (36/39). The remaining genotypes were Africa 4 variant TUB2 (1/39) and two identical isolates (clone) of Type III (2/39). No difference in terms of genotype distribution between inland and coastal sampling sites was found. In particular, contrarily to what has been described in Senegal, no type II (mostly present in Europe) was isolated in poultry from coastal cities. This result seems to refute a possible role of European maritime trade in Benin despite it was one of the most important hubs during the slave trade period. However, the presence of the Africa 1 genotype in Brazil, predominant in Benin, and genetic analyses suggest that the triangular trade was a route for the intercontinental dissemination of genetic strains from Africa to South America. This supports the possibility of contamination in humans and animals with potentially imported virulent strains.     

β-d-xylosidase from Bacillus pumilus prl b12: hydrolysis of aryl β-d-xylopyranosides

The influence of substituents on the binding and hydrolysis of several substituted β-d-xylopyranosides by β-d-xylosidase Bacillus pumilus PRL B12 has been investigated. From a comparison of the inhibition constants of 1-thio-β-d-xylopyranosides with the apparent Michaelis-Menten constants of the substrates, it followed that the latter constants are good approximations of the true equilibrium constants. The influence of the substituent on the rate and activation parameters is small. The results are in agreement with, but do not prove, a one-step mechanism without the formation of a glycosyl-enzyme intermediate.